This application claims priority under 35 USC 119 to French Patent Application No. 99 119610 filed Sep. 24, 1999, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The invention concerns the reconstruction of three-dimensional images and, in particular, the reconstruction of a three-dimensional image of an element of interest like, for example, a vascular stent inserted in an organ such as a vessel.
The invention is applicable advantageously but not limitatively to the medical field.
Vascular expanders (xe2x80x9cstentsxe2x80x9d) are placed in coronary arteries to eliminate stenosis of those arteries. A major difficulty resides in control of the correct deployment of the stent in the vessel in order to avoid d problem known as restenosis. At present, in order to check correct deployment, that is, in general, the diameter of the stent in the vessel, ultrasound-based intravascular techniques are used, which require the insertion of an extra catheter, carrying an ultrasound probe and therefore relatively expensive.
The invention is aimed at offering a more satisfactory solution to that problem and proposes furnishing the same information, but from a reconstruction of the three-dimensional image of the stent.
The invention therefore proposes a method of reconstruction of a three-dimensional image of an element of interest like, for example, a vascular stent inserted in an organ such as a vessel, comprising a phase of acquisition of digital radiographic images by rotation of an camera around the organ, a phase of marking the position of the element of interest from image to image, and a phase of reconstruction of the three-dimensional image of the element of interest from acquired images and positions of the element of interest successively located in the successive images.
Other advantages and characteristics will appear on examination of particular modes of use of the invention, which are now going to be described in detail.